Cabinet for books.



' R. M. HOOKER.l CABINET ron BOOKS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22,1909.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

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UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH M. HOOKER, vOE NORTH PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

CABINET FORv BOOKS.

To all 'whom t may concern:

v Be it known that I, RALPH M. HOOKER, a citizen of the United States, residing in North Plainfield, in the county of Somerset and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cabinets for Books, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to cabinets for holding books, pamphlets, and the like, and is especially designed to receive manufacturers catalogues or similar matter, and present them conveniently for service, and the object of the invention is to provide means whereby such matter may be arranged in series as desired, protected from dust, be easily removed for reference, protected while thus removed, and by which identification and replacement in proper relation to the seriesv is facilitated.

Another import-ant object is to provide means by which the series may be extended and additional matter easilyintroduced at any desired point without otherwise changing the arrangement.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details of construction by which the above objects are attained to be hereinafter described.

The Vaccompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show an approved form of the invention.

Figure l is a front elevation of the cabinet. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a similar section of a portion, on a larger scale, showing the mode of introducing additional matter. Fig. l is a corresponding front view of a portion.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same part-s in all the figures.

A is a rectangular box or case, open at the front and having` closed sides, top, bottom and back, preferably of wood, and which may be plain or ornamented as desired.

Fitted snugly to the interior of the case is a series of cells B, preferably of bookboard or analogous material, each in the form of a flat receptacle open at the front and lying one upon the other. Each is secured to the next above by a strip B1 of gummed paper applied to the adjacent edges of the holders and lapped upon the interior upper surface of one and the interior lower surface of the other. The series of cells thus joined forms a unitary whole matching the lower portion Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 22, 1909.

Patented Auo. 9, 1910. semi No. 508,900.

of the interior of the case; the space/above the uppermost cell is filled in by a curtain or sheet D of heavy paper or light pasteboard attached to the inner margins of the case, reaching to the upper edge of the topmost cell and hanging in the plane of such outer edge. The curtain serves to close the gap in the case above the series of cells, thus adding to the appearanceof the cabinet and lessening the area of dust-collecting surface.

Matching closely within each cell is a holder or cover made by folding a sheet of bookboard of proper size upon itself to form a back C and two side leaves C1 adapted to receive between them the catalogue or other book or pamphlet, or other article. The catalogue may be secured to the holder in any suitable manner. The attaching means shown, consisting of flexible loops N of fabric, as tape, extending through perforations in each leaf C1 of the holder and the rear portion of t-he inclosed pamphlet, is preferred for the reason that this fastening is easily secured and released, and as the loops N project on the face 'of the series, performs the additional function of affording a convenient means for withdrawing the holder and its contents.

Identifying names, numbers or other marks are placed on the backs C C of the holders to indicate the inclosed matter, and as the cells and holders are preferably made in varying thicknesses to match approxi mately to the catalogues contained therein, the replacement in proper sequence after removal is greatly facilitated and the desired order in series maintained. Thus ini closed the catalogues are held in practically dust-proof receptacles and are readily removed for reference, the holder serving as book-back and covers for the contained catalogue and thus protecting it from injury or defacement.

To introduce an additional cell at the top of the series it is only necessary to remove, byv a sharp knife or the like, a strip from the lower margin of the curtain D corresponding in width to the thickness of the added cell and join the latter to the topinost cell of the series by a gummed strip B1 of paper or fabric attached to the adjacent cell-edges. An addition at the bottom of the series is made in like manner by similarly reducing the curtain, raising the entire series, and introducing and joining the new cell tothe lowermost.

An addition at any intermediate point is made by similarly cutting the curtain, slitting the gummed strip between adjacent cells at the place of entrance, raising the released upper portion of the series, and introducing theMnew cell `in the s ace thus formed, as indicated in Fig. 3, a er which the new cell is joined to the neXt above and' below by gummed strips as before.

A number of cabinets thus constructed may be stacked side-'by-side or one upon another as required in extending t-he collection of catalogues to be held, and modifications may be made in the forms, sizes, and proportions of the parts' without departing from the invention. Any suitable materials may be employed. A

Although the invention is described as applied particularly to catalogue and analogous purposes, it will be understood that itwill servek with other matter, as samples of fabrics, photographs, or other articles to which it may be adapted.

I claim 1. A case, an open cell therein, a holder in the cell matching closely thereto and closing the opening therein, and a severable curtain in the space in said case above the cell.

2. A case, a series of open cells superposed one upon the other in the lower por-v `uppermost cell for forming additional cells.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I aiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.-

RALPH M. HOOKER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES R. SEARLE, F, J. GREENE. 

